


Is Alright Enough?

by caimani



Series: 31 Days of Halloween [18]
Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Demons, Injury, M/M, Rituals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 22:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16355711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caimani/pseuds/caimani
Summary: Geoff is doing alright. But he could be doing better, at least for the sake of his family. So, when a demon shows up and promises to help him out a bit, with no strings attached... well, why not take him up on his offer?





	Is Alright Enough?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ToTheMax](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheMax/gifts).



> Day 20: Rituals
> 
> this was originally going to be a whole lot darker, but I'd rather it have a happy ending for all parties concerned. no pigeons are harmed either

“It needs to look exactly like that picture in the book,” Awsten says, hovering over Geoff’s shoulder. “Don’t make it sloppy or it won’t work.”

“Okay, okay,” Geoff says. Jeez, probably not the best time to admit that he’s not very good at drawing. He looks from the book to the elaborate pentacle he’s been drawing on the floor with chalk. Then he looks back at the picture in the book and winces at the sight of all the runes he needs to add to the pentacle. “What about all these letter-looking things? Can you write those?”

“Obviously I can’t,” Awsten says. He paces back and forth, just at the edge of the pentacle. “I’d do the whole thing myself if I could. Only a human can make that. The human initiating the ritual.”

Geoff lowers the chalk and frowns. He’s starting to get second thoughts about this whole thing. No, he had second thoughts a long time ago. This is more like eighteenth thoughts. 

“You… are you sure this isn’t going to like, sell my soul or anything?” he says, unable to quench the nerves in his stomach.

“Of course it’s not going to damage your soul!” Awsten says with a groan. “I’m going to provide all the sacrifices and stuff, you just need to… start the thing. Just takes a bit of your blood.”

“Wait, my blood?” Geoff repeats. He drops the chalk and spins around to face Awsten.

“Careful!” Awsten says.

“You never said anything about blood,” Geoff says.

Awsten rolls his eyes. “It’s a demonic ritual, Geoff, it’s going to need a little bit of you to work on you. Don’t you want to be a little richer? You’ve got a kid to think about, you know.”

Geoff looks back at the book. It really sucks that the whole thing is written in some language he can’t understand. All he’s got is Awsten’s promise that this is going to have its intended effect. 

He really wasn’t expecting anyone to be listening when he was walking home from work muttering, “Man, I’d give anything to give my family a better life.” Awsten had appeared out of nowhere and gave him enough money to pay off the debts he had, completely free and no strings attached. Awsten had said he needed to do some good deeds to pay back a favor for an angel friend, and really, Geoff was the one helping Awsten out. He then showed up a month later and told Geoff he could get even more money, enough to move out of his apartment and into a nice house, but he’d have to do a ritual to get it.

And maybe this is selfish… maybe this is the wrong way to go about it… but Geoff’s budget has always been tight, and damn it, he just wants to make his wife and kid happy.

“Alright,” Geoff says. “So… it’s just a little blood? Nothing that’ll like, make me evil? No other sacrifices on my part?”

“Nope!” Awsten says. “Just a bit of blood. It’s like a key to a safe-deposit box, Geoff! You drop that on the circle once I put all the sacrifices on it, then boom! You’ve never gotta worry about your finances again! Your kid can go to whatever college she wants, you can get a car, your wife can even switch to part time so she can stay home with the baby!”

Geoff’s heart aches at the thought. “Okay.” he says.

He picks up the chalk again and gets back to work, doing his best to copy the runes exactly as they’re written in the book. His back is aching by the time he’s done, but he feels accomplished. 

“Good?” he asks Awsten.

“Perfect!” Awsten says. “I’ll be right back!”

And he grabs the book and vanishes in a gray puff of fire. Geoff backs away from the pentacle and wipes the chalk dust on his palms onto his pants. 

This is all for his wife and daughter. It’s not making a deal with a devil, it’s just… temporarily working with a demon who’s trying to do a good thing. Awsten’s a good guy who just happens to be a demon, that’s all.

Awsten reappears. He’s got with him: six candles, a geode that glitters with orange light, some kind of very big skull that doesn’t belong to any animal Geoff can recognize, a small canvas bag full of something, a $1 slice of cake from a grocery store, and a white pigeon in a birdcage.

“Oh no,” Geoff says as he watches Awsten place the pigeon on one of the points of the pentacle. “You’re not going to kill that, are you?”

“I promise I won’t kill it.”

“Is the ritual going to kill it?”

“Man, you cover all your bases, don’t you?” Awsten says. “No, the bird will still be alive after the ritual. I just need something with a heartbeat.” He places the other items on each of the other points, then the candles in between each of them. Then he puts the last candle in the center.

“Okay, what do I do?”

“One second,” Awsten says. He looks at the candles and they all ignite with tiny tongues of gray fire. “Okay, it’s all ready. Just, cut yourself somewhere and bleed inside the nice thing you just drew.”

“Uh,” Geoff glances at his hands. He wasn’t exactly anticipating having to bring anything. All he has on him is his wallet and his phone. “I don’t really have--”

Awsten groans. He grabs Geoff’s hand and drags his nail across the center of Geoff’s palm. A cut opens, just deep enough that blood starts pooling in Geoff’s hand. Geoff shudders at the sight of the blood.

“Come on,” Awsten says impatiently.

Geoff shuffles closer to the pentacle and sticks his hand out. He tilts his hand so the blood falls to the ground, splattering onto the chalk lines.

“Do I have to say anything?”

“No.”

The cut continues to bleed slowly onto the ground. “Uh, how long do I have to--”

“Just another second,” Awsten says.

Suddenly the lines of the pentacle ignite with gray fire. Geoff yells in shock and jumps back. Fuck, it’s _hot_. Geoff backs carefully away, blinking back the blind spot in his vision and cradling his bleeding hand. Awsten moves forward, standing mere inches away from the ritual. The fire roars up, reaching a height of at least twelve feet. For a second, Geoff is glad they’re outside, otherwise they’d definitely set off some alarms.

He is a little concerned about the pigeon though. The fire remains as it is, tall and imposing, with Awsten silhouetted against it. Geoff is just about to step forward and ask Awsten when it’s going to be done. 

But then he sees something else against the fire. Or… a darker shade of gray within it? Or maybe he’s just going blind from looking at it--

The flames suddenly vanish. And a figure who definitely wasn’t there before steps out of the ritual space. A guy who Awsten immediately grabs and kisses like it’s the end of the world.

This… doesn’t seem like what was supposed to happen. 

Geoff’s stomach lurches as he looks from Awsten and the new person making out to the ritual on the ground. Everything is gone, even the chalk, but the pigeon is still there, fluttering its wings inside the cage.

“Um… Awsten?” Geoff says.

Awsten seems to ignore him in favor of eating his friend’s--boyfriend?--face. Geoff holds his bleeding palm close to his chest. Has he been manipulated?

Awsten finally peels his lips away from the other person’s, although he’s still clinging to him. “Thank you, Geoff,” he says sweetly. “I’d have never gotten him back without your help.”

“Who’s this?” the guy says, narrowing his eyes at Geoff. 

Geoff panics in the force of that glare. He’s going to fucking die.

“He’s the nice human who helped me summon you back, Jawn,” Awsten says, kissing the guy--demon--Jawn’s cheek. “Oh yeah, and I told him I’d make him rich. Here you go,” he adds, waving a hand.

A old wooden chest appears in a swirl of fire at Geoff’s feet. Geoff hesitantly kneels down to open it. Oh, god, it actually is full of gold coins and stuff. And they’re heavy. Geoff’s head swims at the sight of it all. This… this is actually worth a fucking lot. Awsten actually kept his promise. 

“When did you learn how to teleport things?” Jawn says.

“You like it? I’ve been working on it a lot since you’ve been gone,” Awsten says. “Enjoy your life, Geoff!” And with that, the two demons disappear in another plume of gray fire.

Geoff sits down on the floor, struggling to wrap his mind around this. He’s got a fucking treasure chest. 

He digs his phone out of his pocket and calls his wife.

“Honey?” he says. “You’re not going to believe what I just found.”

Several feet away, the pigeon coos at him.

**Author's Note:**

> also in this universe: [uncontainable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290287)


End file.
